The next day.
Zhiyi went to the East Six Palaces with some nervousness.
Indeed, a new desk had been added behind Qu Dubian. To Zhiyi’s surprise, the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Princes were all quite friendly toward her.
The other three elder brothers, though not speaking much to her, didn’t show any signs of rejection either.
Zhiyi breathed a sigh of relief.
She quietly sat down in the back and opened her book. Last night, Concubine Xuan had tutored her on some parts. She needed to study hard to keep up with everyone’s progress in school.
–
Ci Ning Palace.
Qu Dubian followed Concubine Xuan’s senior palace maid Xin Qing to visit Matron Su.
Ci Ning Palace was directly east of Shunning Palace. It housed four imperial consorts, while other consorts of lower rank were kept at imperial manors or Taoist temples.
More people gradually withered away in the hopeless depths of the palace, day after day.
As soon as he entered the palace gates, Qu Dubian smelled a strong medicinal odor, much more bitter than the medicine he drank.
The atmosphere here was very different from the palaces where other consorts lived. It seemed colder, and even the seemingly clean blue bricks exuded an air of decay.
The palace servants responsible for cleaning and attending to the imperial consorts rarely had smiles on their faces.
Matron Su’s quarters were in a room in a side hall. Xin Qing didn’t let Qu Dubian enter, but instead squatted down and said: “Your Highness, please wait outside. It’s stuffy inside.”
Qu Dubian: “Mm, alright.”
“Xiaoyuan Gonggong, please watch over the prince.”
“Don’t worry.”
Only then did Xin Qing carry her basket into Matron Su’s room.
Qu Dubian took a walk around Ci Ning Palace.
There was a main hall here, with three side halls behind it, two side halls in front, and two small gardens, though they were barren, without even plum blossoms blooming.
Following the medicinal smell, he reached the western side hall in the back courtyard. The windows of the sleeping quarters were open for ventilation. The vase on the windowsill was empty, and faint coughing sounds came from inside.
Ye Xiaoyuan: “Your Highness, you should stay further away.”
Qu Dubian held Ye Xiaoyuan’s hand, standing on a rock of the artificial mountain: “I just want to look.”
Normally, he probably wouldn’t have cared, but somehow, hearing the elderly person’s cough made him think of his grandparents, and he couldn’t help wanting to take a closer look.
Inside the sleeping quarters, he could vaguely see an elderly imperial consort lying on her side.
The medicine beside her had almost cooled, but she merely glanced at it faintly, without reaching out to touch it.
Qu Dubian looked for a while, then came down from the rock.
“Ye Banban, the grandmother inside looks very sad.”
Ye Xiaoyuan understood what his prince was thinking: “It’s not sadness, just a lack of hope. Don’t worry, as long as you are safe, the Marquis and Madam will never be like this.”
Qu Dubian sighed, looking around.
Ci Ning Palace was like a nursing home, but with terrible facilities for the elderly. There wasn’t a single piece of exercise equipment, let alone any form of entertainment.
It was suffocatingly dull.
He spoke to the air: “Liuliu, quickly go pick some flowers from somewhere. As long as they’re fresh.”
Ye Xiaoyuan looked around: “Your Highness, how did you know that guard Liuliu was here?”
Qu Dubian thought to himself that the simulator had alerted him, but replied aloud: “I smelled him.”
Yi Shi’er was very fast. Within a few minutes, he appeared next to Ye Xiaoyuan with an armful of flowers, which he then handed to him.
He looked at Qu Dubian: “Are these enough?”
Qu Dubian: “Liuliu, are you still embarrassed?”
Yi Shi’er: “I’m not embarrassed.”
“Oh, then can I see your ‘Four Books and Five Classics’ again?”
After speaking, Qu Dubian stared unblinkingly at Yi Shi’er’s ears. Wow, they really did gradually turn red! He hadn’t seen it last night and felt quite disappointed, but today he deliberately teased him a bit and finally witnessed it firsthand.
Having satisfied his mischievous desire to tease, Qu Dubian smiled and said: “Just kidding.”
Yi Shi’er quickly disappeared.
Qu Dubian selected a few flowers from the bunch Ye Xiaoyuan was holding and placed them in the empty vase on the elderly imperial consort’s windowsill.
Pale yellow plum blossoms and several stems of unknown pink flowers added a touch of brightness to this gloomy place.
The remaining flowers weren’t wasted either. Qu Dubian placed some in each sleeping quarter—some by the windows, some at the doorways, some on the steps, and some in the small kitchen.
He clapped his hands, “I hope seeing the flowers will make them a bit happier.”
After distributing all the flowers and waiting for Xin Qing to finish talking with Matron Su, they left Ci Ning Palace together.
Qu Dubian went to the school for lessons.
Over the next few days, his life was very regular. He would wake up in the Zichen Palace, occasionally visit Ci Ning Palace to deliver flowers, and then go to the East Garden to attend the second class with his sister.
Until his sleeping quarters in Shunning Palace were finally prepared.
He was about to move out of the Zichen Palace.
On his last night there, Emperor Chongzhao looked at his carefree son, who was still counting his small gold pieces on the bed, and felt a slight toothache.
“While living in Concubine Xuan’s palace, if you need anything or want something, just tell her directly. She’s not used to beating around the bush. If she refuses, come find me, and I’ll decide whether to grant your request.”
Qu Dubian finished counting his gold pieces and said: “It’s fine, I have money.”
“Isn’t it all from me?”
Seeing his little son about to pour the money out of his sock to count again, he pulled him over. “Enough, stop counting. I have something to tell you.”
Say what.
Emperor Chongzhao wasn’t quite sure himself.
All he could say was that habits can sometimes be frightening. Every day after court, he could see this little fellow playing with this and that in the hall. Suddenly not seeing him anymore just felt off.
Qu Dubian pinched his fingers, trying to pull off his thumb ring, which looked very valuable: “Father Emperor, it’s not like I’m never coming back.”
Emperor Chongzhao said helplessly: “Stop messing around.”
Qu Dubian: “I’ll come back to find you when I’m sick, and won’t bother Concubine Xuan. Father Emperor, can’t you really give me this thumb ring?”
“…” Emperor Chongzhao, “Don’t talk nonsense. You’ve been very well recently. Don’t keep mentioning illness.”
Qu Dubian thought to himself, that’s impossible, after all, he still wanted longevity.
He currently didn’t have an urgent motivation to accumulate lifespan value, but he couldn’t just keep coasting along like this. In the future, if he needed lifespan value to buy things and didn’t have enough, wouldn’t that be a problem?
He could make a plan, such as writing an experience essay each month.
Ailments like rhinitis, called “bi yuan” in Great Zhou, as well as coughs and the like, were common and didn’t require constant bed rest.
“I know, I know, Father Emperor, just give this to me. Perhaps this thing can bless me~” The jade thumb ring his cheap father wore looked more and more beautiful the longer he looked at it. He really couldn’t resist wanting to collect it.
Emperor Chongzhao lifted the blanket, “No. Go to sleep now.”
Qu Dubian didn’t press further, just hummed a couple of times and closed his eyes to sleep.
Emperor Chongzhao habitually patted his back. Long after Qu Dubian had fallen asleep, he still hadn’t closed his eyes. Lying in bed, he raised his hand and looked at the thumb ring he had worn on his right thumb for many years.
–
The Seventh Prince was to move to Shunning Palace.
On the second day of the official move, the Empress and imperial consorts all sent gifts, along with one from Zhiyi.
Concubine Xuan didn’t particularly like those pearls and treasures, so she placed them all in storage.
Qu Dubian was wandering around his sleeping quarters, hiding some of the good things he had taken from the Zichen Palace and displaying others.
According to his request, with Concubine Xuan’s participation in the design, a hammock was installed in the center of the sleeping quarters, with a row of semi-hollow wooden boards above it, convenient for hanging flowers.
The bed wasn’t a raised platform bed, and there were no bed posts or screens around it to block light or sight. A partition was made on one side of the entrance. The side hall had his study, but he still sectioned off a space for one in his sleeping quarters as well.
This small study was compact with a high degree of privacy.
Convenient for him to write experience essays in the future.
The bed curtains were chosen in a warm yellow color, as was the carpet, to look warmer in winter.
After dismissing the crowd who had come to deliver things, Qu Dubian was about to go out to play when Head Eunuch Yu arrived.
He carried a box, smiling as he said: “Seventh Prince, this old servant has come to join the festivities. His Majesty asked me to bring you a gift.”
Qu Dubian became interested: “What is it?”
Head Eunuch Yu opened the box and carefully presented it to him, “See for yourself.”
Qu Dubian was stunned.
In the box lay a jade-green thumb ring, now strung with a black cord to make a pendant. Looking at it closely in his hand, he discovered that the inside of the thumb ring held another world—a golden pattern was carved into it, depicting a scene of city life in the capital.
Head Eunuch Yu: “Palace servants were ordered to make it early this morning. As soon as it was finished, His Majesty asked this old servant to deliver it to you.”
Qu Dubian: “Did Father Emperor say anything?”
Upon hearing this, Head Eunuch Yu’s face wrinkled as he imitated Emperor Chongzhao’s tone: “Hurry and send it to that boy, so he won’t come and bother me about it again.”
Qu Dubian laughed heartily.
“Head Eunuch Yu, your imitation is very accurate.”
Head Eunuch Yu smiled and said: “I would only dare to do this in front of you. Actually, His Majesty also said he hopes this thumb ring will truly bless you with safety and peace.”
Qu Dubian hadn’t expected his cheap father would really give him the thumb ring; yesterday’s words were just casual remarks.
He asked Ye Xiaoyuan to help him wear the thumb ring, hanging it around his neck. “I also have something to give him to express my gratitude.”
Head Eunuch Yu: “His Majesty will certainly be pleased with whatever the prince gives. What are you sending?”
Qu Dubian sent a flying kiss.
He pressed his finger to his lips, then placed his hand on Head Eunuch Yu’s palm. “There!”
Head Eunuch Yu wanted to say something but held back.
Head Eunuch Yu returned to the Zichen Palace.
“Your Majesty, your thumb ring has been delivered. The young prince put it on immediately and was very happy.”
Emperor Chongzhao: “Mm.”
“The prince also sent you a gift.”
Emperor Chongzhao became interested: “Where is it?”
Head Eunuch Yu opened his palm, and Emperor Chongzhao looked at his empty hand, remained silent for a moment, then said: “Am I blind? There’s nothing here.”
Head Eunuch Yu imitated Qu Dubian’s earlier action, blowing a kiss to Emperor Chongzhao. After explaining, he pointed at his palm and said:
“Here is a kiss from the Seventh Prince for you.”
After a moment of speechlessness, Emperor Chongzhao inexplicably smiled, “This little rascal…”
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
